One Shots
by SporkGoddess
Summary: Several one-shots about Bright and Mirai's relationship, from MSG and beyond. This resulted from my attempt to do the 30 kisses challenge for them, at which I failed miserably. But hopefully you'll enjoy the stories I did write.
1. Valentines Day

Note from Author:

Bright and Mirai are one of my favorite fictional couples, but I always have difficulties writing them. So, over the past year or so I've been trying to write the "30 kisses" challenge for them as a way of expanding my views of their respective characterization and relationship. However, they do not lend themselves well to the situations called for by the prompts (or at least not to the extent of my ability) so I've decided to just turn the few I've done into one-shots by themselves. I haven't kept the prompts but you can probably figure out which ones correspond with which. I still feel like I haven't quite gotten their characterizations down, but we never see them together in civilian life so there really is nothing to go by. Hopefully you'll find them to be semi in-character, regardless.

**Valentines Day**

Mirai hummed a little as she shelled roasted cocoa beans. This was going to be a long process, and she hoped that she would finish it in time. She had started a little later than she had in previous years, later than she would have liked, simply because her life was more hectic now. And she hadn't even been sure if she should celebrate Valentines Day in the way that she had learned. She doubted that Bright even knew about the Japanese tradition—sure, most people would like homemade chocolate, but her husband wasn't most people. Then again, she had seen him eat chocolate before, so she knew that he at least liked it.

She felt a wave of happiness as she continued to remove the husks from the cocoa beans. Sure, she was alone this time instead of with her mother, and her surroundings had certainly changed, but making chocolate was a familiar process. It made her feel like she was thirteen again, her mother watching over her shoulder, wanting to give tips but holding back for her daughter's sake. Mirai had insisted on making a batch of chocolate by herself that year, no help from her mother. It hadn't turned out the best, but she had learned from that mistake and the next years' attempts showed improvement, so that by the age of seventeen she could at least do as good of a job as her mother had. She remember her mother smiling at the sight of her little girl putting time and effort into a gift, _honmei-choco_, for the people she cared about the most. Her parents hadn't kept up every Japanese tradition, but this had been her mother's favorite and therefore her family had celebrated it every year, though she was sure that they weren't following it exactly.

"I hope you're still smiling down on me like that," she said softly as she finally finished shelling the beans and began to grind them—her mother always insisted on doing it by hand, and so Mirai had learned that way as well. She had always been told to give the chocolate to her father and to Cameron, and she felt almost guilty that she wasn't making the latter any this year. Would her parents have approved of her marrying someone else, someone they hadn't even met?

Well, she thought, if they really loved her, they should want her to be happy. They should want her to make chocolate for the man she loved, just as they had taught her.

She winced as she saw how messy the kitchen and she were getting. Of course she had put on an apron, but she knew from experience that it wasn't enough. She could clean this up afterwards, though hopefully before her husband got home. Not that he was obsessed with cleanliness or anything, but anyone would receive a shock walking into a kitchen in a state such as this one.

Would he have any plans for Valentines Day, as well? She didn't know how seriously he took it. If she had to guess, she would think that he was not into it, but he had a strangely romantic side to him so who knew.

Mirai added cocoa butter, sugar, and milk, and then began to repeatedly pat the chocolate. She didn't have much time, so it would have to be grittier than in usual years, when she would make chocolate days ahead. Next year she would start earlier, she resolved, provided that this year's venture was successful.

She was just about to cut the chocolate into pieces when she heard a voice.

"Mirai, I'm—where are you, anyway?"

"Um. In here." Okay, maybe she should have started this earlier.

Bright came into the kitchen and, well, she could tell this was not the sight that he had been expecting.

"Making something?" He grinned, probably because she was covered in chocolate.

She had wanted to explain the tradition to him later, preferably when she had cleaned herself up and was dressed in something better than jeans, a top that she didn't care if it got dirty, and her little flowered apron. With her hair tied back, she might add.

Oh, well, now was as good a time as any. "You know that my family came from Japan, right? Well, my mom's family kept up this one tradition from there because they liked it so much, and I thought that I would do the same."

"Involving chocolate?"

She gestured to the confection laying in front of her. "On Valentines Day, women give out chocolate to men. To their bosses and teachers, people they see everyday pretty much, they give out _giri-choco, _which is usually purchased. I never gave that out because no one here expected it," she added with a shrug. "But to the guys they really like, the ones that are most important to them, they give out _honmei-choco_, which is more special. Usually homemade, as you can see. We made that every year, so, um, it's just something that I grew up with and I wanted… to share it with you."

"I'd never heard of that," he replied. "So you're making chocolate for me?"

She nodded. "I was hoping I'd have it finished before you came home, but, it's okay. As long as you don't mind the mess," she laughed.

"Not at all." He paused. "Er, I just got you flowers. Seems small in comparison to hours of laboring in the kitchen."

She smiled as she resumed her task of cutting the chocolate. Next, she would be putting it on wax paper to solidify. "It's not supposed to be laborious because you do it for the person you care about. And, I love flowers—though don't give them to me now, I'd get them all chocolate-y."

"Yes, I can definitely see that." He grinned, then leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Happy Valentines Day."

"Happy Valentines Day." She smiled back at him.


	2. We'll Be Okay

**We'll Be Okay**

He didn't really know how to bring up the subject. Bright had never been great at expressing himself unless he was scolding someone, but he did like to think that even a person who was more eloquent would have had difficulty with this particular discussion.

Mirai was sitting up in their bed, reading a magazine. He looked over at her and noticed that she was biting her lip as she studied the page.

"I'm trying to do the crossword," she explained, obviously thinking that he was staring at her in wonderment of why such reading material would require such heavy concentration.

He didn't respond, so she returned to her work. He kept looking at her, trying to memorize her face, the way she kept pushing her hair behind her ears, the exact features of her face. The pale blue of her tank top that contrasted with her skin and showed off her shoulders and slender arms.

"Mirai." He said, suddenly.

She must have recognized the seriousness of his tone because she closed the magazine. "You've been acting strangely these past few days."

"I know." A feeling of guilt washed over him, then a crushing feeling. He knew what was coming next, but she didn't.

Mirai stood up and walked over to where he was standing. "Talk to me, then. Is this about AEUG?"

Bright nearly jumped in surprise. How had she known? Oh, but that was just what Mirai was like. She could always tell what was on his mind. He should have given her more credit; she had a great track record.

She smiled, a sad kind of smile. "I know that you're not happy."

"No," he protested. "I'm happy with you, and the kids…"

"But not with your situation."

Bright did miss commanding. Hell, he wouldn't even have to command, just as long as they didn't make him the captain of a bloody civilian charter…

"I've put up with it for years now," he finally said, not even managing to convince himself.

"And it's tearing you apart. Admit it, if it weren't for me and the children, would you still be with the EFF?"

Bright paused, unsure of what to say, which he knew would only confirm her belief.

"I'll miss you." He said finally, stupidly.

"We'll miss you, too. But you have to do this, I think. If you don't go on your own, I'll make you." She smiled as much as she could, but this time he felt that she was the unconvincing one. He only nodded.

"The AEUG will be lucky to have you. I bet they'll give you a great position. We'll be okay."

He knew that they would be; she was a clever woman. But right now, the only place that he wanted to be was beside his wife. Not even the thought of being captain of another ship made that feeling of dread go away.

She drew closer to him, and he put his arms around her.

"We'll be okay, won't we?" She asked. "It could be years that we're apart, but…"

"I guess we're going to have to be," he said, as he stepped back so he could see her face. "I'll always think about you."

"That's not a good idea. How are you going to win battles if you're not focused?" She teased, but he could hear her voice waver; she was trying not to cry. "Anyway, I hope your navigator isn't female."

He laughed, in spite of himself. "Do you think that I collect them or something? I'll be stuck on a ship yelling orders at everyone; you'll be the pretty woman with the cute kids and no husband in sight."

"Children scare off men, don't you know that?"

"Maybe."

Suddenly, the tears broke free, and she threw her arms around him. He held her as closely as possible.

"AEUG needs you, I know." She managed to say between sobs. "But, I also feel like I need you, too."

He cupped her face with his hands and kissed her. She responded to the kiss, and both felt a sense of desperation as they clutched each other, afraid to let go.

"We'll be okay." He said again, after they had broken apart.

She nodded, and wiped her eyes. "We have to be."


	3. Hurt

**Hurt**

She knew that something was wrong the minute he walked in through the door.

Not that he was giving any indication, but she could tell. Instinct, maybe you could call it. Or perhaps a woman's intuition. Whatever it was, she knew and it never failed. So, Mirai left the room where she was folding the laundry and walked over to where her husband was standing, clutching his face. This was how things worked now; she never knew what would happen when he came home from those trips.

Upon seeing her, he removed his hand to show her a very bruised and swollen face, bandages attempting to cover the damage. "I'm fine, Mirai. Just still a little sore." He tried to smile, but she could tell that he was trying not to wince from the pain of the movement.

"Jamaican?" She asked softly, bringing her hand up to his cheek.

He shrugged. "This is what the military is about. You've seen me punish Amuro like that, right?"

"If you say so." She didn't want to argue about this, not when she knew that he was trying to convince himself as much as her.

"The kids are still at school?" He asked.

She nodded, wondering what she would tell them, and hating the Titans for every mother who had to explain to her kids why their father had been so brutalized. Or, worse, she thought, thinking of the atrocities that she had heard about.

"If you don't mind," Bright said, breaking her train of thought, "I think I'm going to go sit down."

She instantly went into the automatic mode she possessed that had earned her the affectionate title of _White Base's_ mother. "Yes, sit down and rest." After he had left for the living room area, she got out the medical supplies, then went to where he was sitting.

It was painful to see him sit there, trying to move as little as possible because of the pain. And she knew what this kind of punishment did to his pride, especially coming from people who were of a lower rank.

"Mirai? You don't have to do anything," he told her, but she shook her head.

"You're home now. Let me take care of you." She sat on the armrest of his chair and began to unravel the old medical tape holding the gauze in place. He tensed his body so she knew that it hurt, but he didn't say a word.

"Remember back during the war, when you were sick?" She said, trying to keep his mind off of the task at hand. "There was hardly a time when I wasn't at your side then."

"I remember."

"I think that I loved you even then," she continued, "even if I didn't realize it."

"You didn't know that, years later, I'd become the Titans'—ouch!" He couldn't help but say it as she pulled off the last of the tape.

He looked so miserable that it almost made her heart break. "You mean, I didn't know that you would stand up to them even at great risk to your safety."

"I suppose." He sighed. "Sorry, I know I'm being a pain right now."

"No, you're not; I think your response is perfectly normal. But, remember, I'm on your side, no matter what." She took out the salve and began to apply to the necessary places. The thought of what had happened to cause these wounds made her feel sick. "This may sting a bit," she warned.

"No, it feels good, actually." He paused for a bit, then said, "You're too good to me, Mirai."

"I'm your wife, if I won't take care of you, who will?" She tried to be as gentle as possible because his skin was so badly bruised, her fingertips lightly grazing his face.

"You're a lot better at it than I am, that's for sure."

"Well, this isn't an easy job, either. So don't be hard on yourself." She frowned. "You've had enough of that recently."

"You can say that again. But what I mean is, you're very gentle."

She finished applying the salve and surveyed her work so far, frowning slightly as she determined what the best course of action would be. No doubt his face stung from contact with the air, but medical tape would hurt as well.

"I'll bandage you up again," Mirai told him, "but tomorrow we should try removing them and see how long you can go without it. You heal faster that way."

"Sounds good." She could see that he was bracing himself for more pain. When she started putting fresh gauze on his face and using tape to secure it, it really did hurt him. She could tell from the way he was tensing up.

"You'll be better in no time," she promised as she finished, then stood up to take a look at her handiwork. Okay, he still looked like a wreck, but at least now he had fresh bandages.

Bright brought his hand up to one of the areas of his face that was safely covered. "You're wonderful, Mirai. I really don't know what I did to deserve you." Clearly, he had cheered up a bit.

She smiled. "I'd ask for a kiss in return, but I think that would really hurt."

"Sorry, I'll remember that I owe you one."

But, instead, she leaned over and kissed his forehead, which had not been injured. "I'm going to go get you some ice. I want you to keep applying it as much as possible; it will help the swelling. And don't come with me to pick up the kids when it's time—you're staying here."

"Okay."

She walked away to get the ice, content with the fact that he was doing better now, but unable to shake the image of what he had looked like without those bandages. She knew of what the Titans were capable, of course, but seeing the effects in person, and on the person she loved, that was horrifying in itself. What else would happen to him? She hated the thought of finding out.

_Author's Note: I couldn't really figure out if Bright went right from Green Noah to AEUG, or back on Earth in between. If he didn't, then we'll just say that this isn't the first time the Titans have been mean to him._


	4. Dance

**Dance**

She knocked on his door, anticipating the moment he would open it. Lately, she couldn't get enough of spending time with him. She didn't really want to think about what that meant; right now, she was just enjoying being able to sit with him and have normal conversations. Sometimes they talked about deeper subjects like the future and whether or not they had really seen the last of Zeon, or sometimes they talked about books, or sillier things like television shows they had used to watch, or if Captain Zeon paraphernalia would be discontinued now that the war was over.

Bright opened the door as he usually did, and Mirai went inside his quarters, like she usually did. However, this time she noticed something different.

"Is that music playing?" She asked curiously, straining to hear it better.

"I found an old radio in here," he replied. "It only gets in this station that plays classical, but it's better than nothing."

"How old is this music?" Mirai was astonished that someone would even play such, well, relics.

"1900s AD, I think. My mum used to listen to this kind of music a lot."

"It's pretty. Sounds like the kind of music we used to have at balls. Maybe that was it, actually—I don't really remember

He looked at her. "Wow, you actually went to balls?"

Mirai laughed. "They weren't too bad. I liked the dancing, actually."

Okay, so maybe her partners hadn't been the kind of person a girl dreams about dancing with, but it had still been nice. She closed her eyes and let the song she was hearing take her back to another time, when there had been beautiful music and beautiful dresses and sparkling wine, not the sounds of weapons and uniforms and rations. This was such a pretty song, romantic, not the kind that should be listened to on a military base.

And then, she got a crazy idea.

"Want to dance?"

Bright's reaction was as if she had asked him to perform open heart surgery. "Um…"

"Look, I can show you how. Dance with me," she repeated.

"I…"

She didn't let him get a chance to finish, but took his hand and got him to stand up. He didn't say anything further after that, but continued to look utterly terrified as she moved closer to him and put his arms around her, with his hands in the proper positions.

Mirai was amazed at how good her memory was; apparently ballroom dancing was just like piloting a spaceship because it all came back to her. She led Bright through the steps until he had figured it out enough to continue whirling her around the room without her having to whisper any instructions.

And then she was able to take in the moment for what it was, dancing to a song that was emanating from a cheap radio, wearing clothes that were certainly not meant for it, in a room that had probably never even seen two people dance before. Yet, she realized as she held onto him, she preferred this moment to any of the ones she had in those gorgeous ball rooms, her hair styled, wearing a floaty dress and glittering jewelry that probably could have paid for a good part of the war effort. Because, well, something had been missing. He hadn't been there.

She hadn't heard this song before, but she was convinced at this moment that a better one did not exist. No better song, no better moment, no better person to share it with.

"Okay," Bright said, slowing down, snapping her out of her reverie. "Did I humor you enough now?" He didn't sound annoyed, though, and he was smiling.

She didn't respond. They were standing still now, but still together, and she didn't want to pull away.

"Mirai?" Now he was looking at her, trying to figure out what she was thinking.

She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his shoulder. She felt his hand come up and touch her hair.

"Is everything okay?"

She looked up at him now, wondering if he could see what was in her eyes.

"Everything's fine," she said softly, and eventually he must have gotten the message because he pulled her closer against him and kissed her. They were both rather inexperienced, but they had a lot of emotion that found its way into the kiss, emotions that both had been feeling and suppressing and fearing and relishing and which made them wonder if anyone else could ever make them feel this way or if they were stuck in this now whether they liked it or not.

Both knew the answer now, really, as they broke apart.

"Mirai." Bright said slowly. "What does this mean?"

"I think it means," she chose her words carefully, "that we can't just be friends with each other."

He paused, thinking about it. Then he said, "I think you're right."

_Author's Note: I still can't figure out exactly how these two got together, so I'm not saying this is the definitive scene. I just thought it was a cute idea._


End file.
